Goals: Sputnik was the opening shot in the space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union. The basketball-sized spacecraft was the world's first artificial satellite. It orbited the Earth sending back a beeping signal for 23 days.

Accomplishments: Sputnik created shockwaves back on Earth. It was an amazing technical achievement followed only a month later by the stunning launch of Sputnik II, which carried the first living thing - Laika the dog - into space. The U.S. responded in January 1958 with the launch of Explorer 1. Another American response to Sputnik: The creation of NASA in October 1958.